A middleware for the integration of third-party learning tools in SOA-based Learning Management Systems: Supporting instance management and data transfer

The widespread adoption of broadband Internet connections and the need of institutions such as universities or enterprises to provide their staff with continuous education have led to a fast adoption of Learning Management Systems. These systems typically provide a centralized environment where students can communicate, carry out experiments, etc. However, the rapid growth of these platforms together with the unlimited need for learning tools, mainly in engineering education contexts (e.g. simulators, communication tools), are hindering their development. The natural alternative is to decouple these tools from the Learning Management Systems themselves, taking advantage of the Software as a Service distribution model. To perform such a decoupling a middleware is required to allow the integration and use of an external tool by the Learning Management System. In this paper a proposal for such middleware is described, with a special focus on the part devoted to manage instances and the transfer of data.